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Alumni Hall of Fame

Daniel D. Frye '79 has achieved international distinction through his career at IBM where he currently serves as vice president of open system development including management of IBM's Linux Technology Center. He leads a worldwide software development team of more than 1,500 software professionals at IBM. In 2002, he was named one of the "50 Most Powerful People in Networking" by Network World magazine.

Prior to his current responsibilities, Frye was a member of IBM's Emerging Technologies and Business Opportunities team where he worked on company-wide technical strategies that predicted future trends and transitions in the Information Technology industry. It was during this time that Frye co-authored the original IBM corporate strategies for both Linux and open source software.

Linux is a computer operating system and one of the most prominent examples of free software and open-source development. Unlike proprietary operating systems such as Windows and Mac OS, all of the underlying source code for Linux is available to the public and anyone can freely use, modify, improve and redistribute it. Through Frye's leadership, IBM developers are now working with peers from around the world in the open source community with the goal of making Linux better and enabling customers to run Linux in all areas of computing.

"Dr. Frye is an excellent example of our 'Legacy of Leading,' said Scott wood, dean of the College of Science.”He probably never imagined as a freshman that a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Idaho would lead him to graduate school at Johns Hopkins, followed by a leadership career in developing Linux software. However, in retrospect, his own personal drive, intellect and talent, combined with the solid education he received at Idaho clearly represent a formula for success. We in the College of Science are extremely proud to count Dr. Frye among our alumni."

Frye earned a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Idaho in 1979. He later earned a master's degree in physics and a doctoral degree in theoretical atomic physics from John Hopkins University.

Alumni Hall of FameThis award was created in 1962 and recognizes alumni who have achieved national or international distinction by their accomplishments and leadership.

"His own personal drive, intellect and talent, combined with the solid education he received at Idaho clearly represent a formula for success."